


The Boy

by inabodycastofglass



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Aladdin AU, Fairytale? AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-16 08:01:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11824458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inabodycastofglass/pseuds/inabodycastofglass
Summary: It started with a fruit seller yelling, "Thief!" and a bang.





	The Boy

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally supposed to be for a workshop that didn't end up happening.  
> It's the only fairytale story I intend to write based on the Disney movie instead of the original story.  
> It's also likely going to be my last story for this fandom.

It started with a fruit seller yelling, "Thief!" and a bang. Then a boy wearing a cloak rounded the corner, nearly colliding with Will.

A guard rounded the corner a moment later, his sword out.

Without a moment to consider just how bad of an idea it was, Will took the shortcut through a tiny alley that could barely fit him moving sideways to the next street.

He came out on the other side, his slingshot in one hand, grabbing a rock in the other.

The boy rounded the corner, and Will spun the slingshot.

Right as he was about to release it, the boy stopped so the guard ran into him, grabbed the wrist that held the sword, elbowed the guard in the chest, took his sword, spun around, and kicked him to the ground.

He held the sword point to the guards chest. "If your government would do something to feed starving children, then maybe we wouldn't have to steal food."

It took a moment for Will to come to his senses and notice the way the boy’s arm trembled. It wasn't obvious under his cloak, but Will could see how tiny he was. That must have taken a lot of energy.

He grabbed the boy’s other arm, pulling on it.

He turned to Will, and he saw the fear in the boys eyes. He couldn't fight Will off if he tried anything.

"What are you doing?" Will pulled on his arm again. "Run."

It took a second for the boy to process the situation properly, but he did finally follow Will, dropping the sword as they started to scale the side of a house.

He occasionally had trouble following Will, or reaching some places that were more than two metres high, but eventually will pronounced them safe.

They both laid sprawled out on a roof, gasping for breath. Will could taste copper.

He turned onto his side to look at the boy, who’s hair was shiny with sweat.

His skin was so pale. It made Will think of the girls who's mothers kept them covered head to toe, hoping their pretty faces would get them a good marriage. But the same wasn't true for boys, who showed off their tans as proof that they were strong workers. It was odd for a moment, but it looked good on him.

"Who are you?" Will pushed himself up on his elbow. "I haven't seen you around here before."

The boy pursed his lips. "No one."

Will laughed, getting a confused look from the boy. "You'll fit right in here." He sat up, grabbing his ankles. "My dad left when I was tiny, and my mum died a few years later. Cecil's parents couldn't afford him. Lou's are drunks so she ran. It's not great with us, but it's better." He shrugged. "You ready to go?"

"Go?"

"Home." Will got up and held his hand out to the boy. "Come on."

The boy scrutinised him for a moment before getting up on his own. He put on his hood, ignoring how awkward and dirty he was, and it made Will question his true identity.

"Where is this home of yours?"

Not far from here." He motioned with his head. "Follow me."

They hopped rooftops for about ten minutes before coming to a particularly run down one.

Will hopped down the hole in the north-east corner and found the room empty. Not surprising since it was almost dusk. It was prime working hours.

The boy hopped down several seconds after Will. "What is this place?"

"Home." Will tossed half his pay into the group pile. "Come to my area. I have the best view."

He led the boy to his bedding, flopping down on one side. He motioned for the boy to do the same. "Wait until you see this." he turned sideways and pulled up the ratty cloth that covered the hole in the wall beside them.

The boy stared at the palace with wide eyes.

"It's beautiful, right?" He leaned his arm on the hole. "Best view in the city." He smiled at the boy. "My dream is to work in there some day."

"You want to work in the palace?"

"Yeah. It won't happen, but it's still pretty nice to hope."

The boy stared at him, and Will thought he might be avoiding looking at the palace. "Why is it impossible?"

Will couldn't tell if he was joking. "I can't afford the apprenticeship for that."

"Apprenticeship?"

"Oh." Will dropped the cloth and dug through his rucksack. He pulled out a roll of bandages. "I want to be a physician."

"You want to heal people."

"Yeah." He put the bandages back. "Right now I do it mostly for free, for the people who can't afford it." He leaned against the wall. "It's expensive. Eventually I'm going to open my own place. That's doable."

The boy nodded, looking at his bag. "How will you afford it if you help people for free?"

Will blushed. "I'm working on that."

The boy didn't say anything, though he must have known the answer. He just looked around the room silently.

Will liked the way it looked like he was seeing everything instead of just looking for something to talk about. Nothing was unimportant.

He cleared his throat. "So what do I call you?"

The boy thought for a moment. "Nico."

Will nodded. "Well, you're welcome to stay here for as long as you need to." He knew he should have asked the others first, but his chest felt hot as he looked at Nico, and it didn't exactly make him feel rational.

Nico nodded, staring at the ground. "Thank you."

"No problem." He moved closer to Nico.

After a very long moment, Nico looked up at him. "I ran away from home."

Will nodded. He'd already figured that much out.

"My father only looks at me and my sister as pawns. He doesn't listen to either of us, just this creepy guy his father told him to listen to, just because he'd listened to his father. He can't see that this man is poison."

He was so angry.

"I'm sorry." Will moved so he was sitting beside Nico. "So you ran away to get out of that cycle?"

Nico nodded. "I just felt so..."

"Trapped?"

Nico looked at him, then he smiled. "Yeah."

Will's heart skipped. "I understand that. It seems like everyone's trapped in this world, like nothing will ever change."

Nico's lips were thin. "I'm sorry."

Will's lips pulled up at one corner. "What for? You haven't done anything."

Nico looked down. He'd pulled into himself.

"Hey." Will moved closer still, putting a hand on Nico's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Nico looked up at him, and they both stopped. Their noses were almost touching. Will could feel Nico's breath on his lips.

If he moved forward...

They heard laughter and jumped apart.

Cecil and Lou Ellen came up the stairs.

"Who's this?" Cecil fell into his small nest of cloth in the corner.

"This is Nico. He's going to stay with us."

Lou sat between them. "What do you do, Nico?"

"Do?"

"Yeah. How do you make money?"

"Oh. Well, I have some things I can sell."

Lou rolled her eyes. "Nice catch, Will." She went to her corner, curling up, ready for sleep. She was always tired at the end of the day.

"What do you have?"

Nico took off an earring and handed it to Will.

Will stared at it, gaping dumbly. He pressed his fingernail hard into the rustic gold that encased the red jewel. It gave way, proving its authenticity. He swore. "Where did you get this?"

Nico scowled. "Payment for my complacence."

Everything Nico said made him more confused. He was obviously from a well off family, but it was unhealthy, possibly abusive. But how bad could it be to force him onto the streets? Or did Will just not quite understand?"

Was it selfish of Will to be glad he had run away, despite how hard it was going to be for him?

Of course it was. Just thinking it made him feel sick.

As he went to give the earring back to Nico, there was a bang and the crack of the door downstairs breaking off it’s hinges.

Everyone jumped to their feet.

Cecil ran to the hole to peak at the stairs. He swore. “It’s the captain.”

“She’s after me.”

Will turned to Nico. “You?”

Lou was hiding their stash, and Cecil was already gone.

“Come with me.” Will put a foot on the hole beside his bed.

“Are you crazy?”

He turned back to Nico. “I need you to trust me. Can you do that?”

Nico looked to his outstretched hand, then to the window. He was pale.

When the captain of the guard kicked at the second door, Nico grabbed his hand. They jumped out as she kicked it again, bursting it open.

They hit a tent, bounced, and rolled off into the dirt.

Nico caught his breath first, pulling Will to his feet. “Come on.”

He was so frantic to get away that he’d neglected his hood, surprising Will as his panic caught back up with him.

They ran, but because Nico was leading they only made it a few streets before the guards caught them.

Someone grabbed the back of Will’s shirt, choking him. The man put a sword to his neck, so close he feared swallowing would slit it.

Nico had stopped, and Will tried to tell him to run with his eyes before the guards noticed him.

“Tie his wrists. If he has use of his hands, we’ll all be sorry.” The captain stood in front of Will, examining him.

“Let him go!”

Nico ran at them, but the captains reflexes were infamous. She had him on his knees with his arm twisted behind him before he even touched her.

“You do know attacking a guard gets you a prison sentence?”

He struggled against her, but she just tightened her grip until he stopped moving. “I said release him.”

The guard flinched. She let go, stepping back. “Nico?”

He stood up and turned around to face her, rubbing his shoulder. “Reyna.” His voice sent a chill down Will’s spine.

She gasped and went down to one knee. “Prince Nicoleta.”

Will was forced harshly to his knees before he was able to process the captain’s words. Prince? How was that possible? Of every single person in the entire world Will could have met… The chances of it being his future sovern were almost impossible.

But it made sense. Everything that had happened. It was so clear that he should have figured it out himself.

He looked up at Nico, staring at his back. He wanted to speak, to ask him what was going on. His mind was having a hard time catching up.

But Nico kept his back to Will, and his eyes on Reyna. “I don’t want to repeat myself again, Reyna. Release him.

She let out a quiet breath. “I can’t.”

“Excuse me?”

The captain stood. “We’ve been ordered by Octavian to arrest him.”

“You’re putting his orders above mine?”

The captain looked uncomfortable. “On your father’s orders.”

The shock took over Nico’s entire body. He took a step back to steady himself. “My father?”

She nodded.

Nico’s fists balled up, shaking. “I’ll be taking this betrayal to him directly.

The captain nodded. “We need to escort the prisoner to the dungeon.” She motioned toward Will.

Nico’s body tensed. He spun around and went to one knee so he was face to face with Will. “I will get you out of this.”

He seemed so intense and serious that Will wanted to believe him. But he knew better. No one escaped once the guard caught them.

But he nodded and gave Nico his last smile anyway.

As the guards yanked him to his feet, it fell away. A coldness filled his chest, and his entire body shook, so it was hard to walk.

He focused on the sharp stab of Nico’s earring in his papa, and the small trickle of blood that dripped off his wrist.


End file.
